Anybody use a come-a-long?

[Silvertip]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

Why not carry a small shovel -- you're at the beach -- insn't there some sand there??

 

[496 Cubic Inches]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

When you buy new tires be sure to get them siped. Getting tires siped can make a huge difference in how the perform in wet or icy conditions. <br /><br />Siped tires and a LS should have you out of the ramp with no problems.

 

[Speedwagon]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

Originally posted by Upinsmoke:<br /> Why not carry a small shovel -- you're at the beach -- insn't there some sand there??

No beach. Most of the river is seawalled, and the parts that aren't are large rocks.

 

[MajBach]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

496:<br />Can you elaborate on that procedure?

 

[Terry Olson]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

This is why I always have a 4wd truck. They're more expensive and you don't use 4wd often, but when you need it there is no substitute. If you can't get in and out using 4wd in low range it can't be done. <br /><br />A come-along is a great way to get unstuck in a pinch. I've unstuck 4wd trucks with them and carry one in my truck at all times. You can get one for about $20. We use it to pull the dock out too. You get steady even pressure that doesn't allow whatever you're pulling fall back which is why they work so well. <br /><br />Finding something to attach it to will be a problem at most ramps. They aren't fast and other boaters will be inconvenienced at the ramp - but no more so than when you're stuck and blocking the ramp already.<br /><br />They can be dangerous though - there's a lot of potential energy stored in the cable when you're pulling with it. If something gives things are going to go flying so be very careful and keep the kids well out of the way should something go flying.

 

[lakelover]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

I never thought of this use, but I bet these would work. They're traction aids that my Canadian parents-in-law gave me shortly after we were married 25 years ago. I carry them in my trunk every winter and have saved myself and numerous other family members and strangers when stuck in snow, ice, mud, you name it.<br /><br />You just wedge them in front of the drive wheels and gently accelerate. It gets you going with enough inertia to continue. I've never had them shoot out from behind the tires because the points dig in, you just drive off them. I believe these are from Canadian Tire, but I've seen them in various mail order catalogs over the years.<br /><br />Probably one of the less expensive of the solutions offered so far. You might want a brighter color for retrieval in water. In my book, these things rate right up there with duct tape and bungee cords for some of the most useful items ever produced.<br /><br />

 

[paulie0735]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

You can keep the tires dry by using an extension link between the hitch and the trailer, they are inexpensive to have made they work very well and can be stored on the trailer when you don't need it.

 

[Dave Abrahamson]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

Originally posted by MajBach:<br /> 496:<br />Can you elaborate on that procedure?

Im not 496 but...<br />

<br />here is the site<br /> http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/TireSiping.shtml

 

[MajBach]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

pictures worth 1000 words,thanks

 

[Capt Ralph]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

a locker for a Ford 7.5" rear end is way more than I want to spend on this truck that I got for free. So I got the limited slip, and figured it'd help enough, while giving me added traction for the normal drive.<br /><br />Another thing you could do is weld up the spider gears in the rear end to create what the four wheelers call a "Lincoln Locker". I did that on on old Jeep CJ7 and it worked great! Both wheels however will be locked and spin at the same rate which will cause some skidding of one wheel in slow turns. You could also just take the spider gears out and get a spool or a mini spool for $50 or so.<br /><br />-CR

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

Lakelover, those are great devices but on a slippery ramp where the teeth can't dig in, they may shoot out the back and right into the hull of the boat.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

Could you load up the boat, unhitch the trailer (wheel chocks needed to keep it from rolling away...) then pull the truck up the ramp to level area with traction and winch the boat up the ramp?<br /><br />Just a thought. <br /><br />But I would try the bag of sand first...<br /><br />BTW, a Lincoln Locker is great off road, but will break an axle sooner or later on pavement, plus the extra wear on the tires.<br /><br />I installed a Ford Track-Lock limited slip, 3:55 gears, and 255x50x17 tires in my Lincoln Town Car and it pulls my boat up a wet ramp with no problems. I'm fairly sure the diff will do it for you. Just get it in.<br /><br />Mark.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

D/P

 

[rwidman]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

Have someone sit at the helm of the boat, and as you start to drive the truck up the ramp, have them engage the engine in forwards to help push the truck up the ramp. This manouvre requires teamwork, and a good understanding of the ramp you are at.<br />

That's an accident waiting to happen. I would not try it.

 

[Speedwagon]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

Originally posted by Mark42:<br /> Could you load up the boat, unhitch the trailer (wheel chocks needed to keep it from rolling away...) then pull the truck up the ramp to level area with traction and winch the boat up the ramp?<br /><br />Just a thought. <br /><br />But I would try the bag of sand first...<br /><br />BTW, a Lincoln Locker is great off road, but will break an axle sooner or later on pavement, plus the extra wear on the tires.<br /><br />I installed a Ford Track-Lock limited slip, 3:55 gears, and 255x50x17 tires in my Lincoln Town Car and it pulls my boat up a wet ramp with no problems. I'm fairly sure the diff will do it for you. Just get it in.<br /><br />Mark.

That's what I figured. On this ramp, I didn't really need MUCH, I just needed the other wheel to do SOMETHING. And then I would have been off. So I think I'll be getting that diff in soon, and buying some new tires. Probably get the tool as a backup, just in case.

 

[John_S]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

You need to be concerned about the tongue pitching up, and the motor/outdrive dropping down and hitting ramp. The cable tension will not hold it down. I've done this with a lite 14' boat, at our camp, where there isn't a good ramp. Someone has to stay near the tongue to hold it down. Wouldn't want to do it with a heavier boat.

 

[tomatolord]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

On the ramps I have been on there is nothing to attach the come along to - usually there are large turn around areas and the nearest tree is 100 hundreds away or so. <br /><br />I had a friend that had a 72 4 door caddy and he locked the keys inside on memorial day weekend ON THE ramp at 5pm. He was not well liked at the moment <br /><br />He said guys with the largest pickups there could not budge his caddy even an inch.<br /><br />I have 4 wheel drive, which is one of the reasons I got 4 wheel drive was because of boat ramps. <br /><br />I would do the sand thing if I did not have limited slip or locking rear wheels.<br /><br />Tomatolord

 

[BillP]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

Go to any steep ramp where people are always squealing tires...pickups and front wheel drives are the worst. One you have to add weight to the back and the other to the front for better traction. <br /><br />Try this before spending big bucks on other gear...back the tow vehicle at an angle to the ramp. It loads the tires differently and gives more traction for launching and pulling out. It works even better if the ramp is wide enough to angle the trailer too. I've done this dozens of times at a ramp that most locals avoid because it's too steep and slippery. <br /><br />As already mentioned, you can have someone in the boat to help push the rig out. It's seen often here in Florida when guys are pulling big heavy rigs out on bad ramps. Nobody has issues with it.

 

[fseventy]

Re: Anybody use a come-a-long?

Welding up the spider gears has been a cheap fix for weekend drag cars and offroaders alike for years, but it is not a good idea. The differential gears are made of tempered steel (heat treating the steel makes it stronger and better to withstand fatigue). When you weld on it without re-tempering it you are creating lots of areas for cracks to start and shortening it's available lifespan. Plus, because you are now removing the "differential" ability, when cornering you force the outer wheel to slip and hop around the corner unloading and loading the axle again. If you were going to put 100 miles a year on this vehicle, it might last you 10 years, but otherwise you are just asking for trouble.